[QUOTE=tashabot]
Don’t think I’m being offensive or defensive, because I’m not.
It’s not so much that I have a problem with kids at parties where alcohol is served. I have a problem where kids are going to parties where people might get DRUNK. I don’t think drunken behavior, which can range from overly affectionate and happy to violent and handsy, is appropriate for young children.
As I stated before, once kids reach a certain age, usually ten, or younger, or older, depending on the maturity of the child in question, it doesn’t really matter. But younger children aren’t going to understand what’s going on and might not know when to stay away. They might get hurt, they might piss someone off, or they might, if you don’t know your friends very well, be the victim of a molestation (that’s a very extreme example, I know). Normal bumps and bruises are a normal part of a child’s life; getting beaned across the head by someone who had a little too much to drink isn’t.
My opinion isn’t unique, so to speak. Most people that I know (which might be why I have this opinion) object to exposing young children to the possibility unnecessary danger. Also, I grew up in an alcoholic home, so I’ve seen someone drinking at their worst, and I’ve also seen them at their best. I know firsthand how easy it is for a kid to get hurt in those circumstances.
Not that I hate alcohol or something because of my experiences, because I don’t. I just don’t find it appropriate for young (stressing YOUNG here) children to be around it.
~Tasha
[/QUOTE]
OK, I still get what you’re saying, and I still stand by what I said. It’s completely outside *my *realm of experience to *not *invite children to a dinner party, barbeque or picnic simply because large quantities of beer are served. Not everyone is drinking, the kids are gathered in a group playing, and someone’s always watching out for them.
In my social circles, when we do stuff, the kids are there. They may be in another room, or in the basement, but 98% of the time, there are kids at any party, alcohol or not. (To bring it on topic, if kids aren’t invited, we’re all crystal clear about that, and there’s no hard feelings.) This was not true when I was in college, and I’m not saying I’d bring my kid to a frat party, but now that we’re 30somethings with kids, it’s all good. No one has ever come close to getting “beaned across the head by someone who had a little too much to drink”. I find that a bizarre consideration. If my friends were prone to beaning anyone over the head, I’d probably feel the same way you do.
I don’t mind my kids being around drunk people as long as there’s sober people there also. If anything, I find it’s taught my son the “evils” of alcohol, as he just goes :rolleyes: when Uncle Jonny starts giving his “I love you all, man!” speech, and he knows that it’s possible to not drink at all and have fun, drink in moderation like Mom, or be an embarrassing drunk like Uncle Jonny.
So you have your opinion, and I have mine, and isn’t it great we live in a country where we each get to raise our kids the way we want? (For the moment, anyway.) If I’m ever at your place with a 6-pack, I’ll get a babysitter, OK? 
As for unique (which I qualified with “rather” and then changed to “or at least limited”), that’s true too. You’re the very first person I’ve ever heard articulate these feelings who wasn’t a teetotaller. That doesn’t mean that you’re the only one that has them, but I’d have to see some serious cites that yours is the majority opinion in the US, which seemed to be the conclusion Arnold Winkelried was beginning to draw.
